What is the most expensive piece of baseball memorabilia ever sold? Babe Ruth's 1923 bat fetches $1,300,000 at auction

In his 14 seasons playing for the New York Yankees, Babe Ruth put forth performances that will live on in the team's lore forever. Ruth himself is a piece of Yankees history.

He is a piece of history, that evidently costs very much to get a part of. Recently, a bat used by Ruth during the 1923 season sold for an auction. The reported price of the artifact was a whopping $1.3 million.

Made by Hillerich and Bradsby, the bat is 36 inches long, and was used by Ruth to hit a home run during an exhbition game in 1923. DNA was used to verify that the bat was, in fact, used by the legendary Babe Ruth.

"New York #Yankees legends Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig take batting practice back in the day! They even shared the same bat!" - Baseball by BSmile

For Ruth, this is not the first time that memorabilia used during his career has sold for eye-watering amounts of money. In 2004, a bat used by the New York Yankees icon was sold for another $1.3 million. Additionally, Ruth's past jersey sold for $940,000 in 2005, later that same year, his 1934 Japanese-tour jersey was sold for some $770,000 million.

Some other honorable mentions include Mark McGwire's 70th home run of the 1998 season for St. Louis Cardinals. Popular comic book creator Todd McFarlane paid some $3 million for the ball.

However, the world of baseball cards can be even more lucrative. To date, the sums dropped by wealthy individuals on rare cards makes the expenditure on jerseys, hats, bats, and balls look like spare change.

"Rare shot of Babe Ruth up to bat, 1926" - Baseball in Pics

Earlier this year, Mickey Mantle's 1952 card sold for a staggering $12.6 million at an auction in Texas. The sale broke the $6.6 million record that was paid for a limited-edition Honus Wagner card in 2021.

Exhorbitant auction proves Babe Ruth is still the Yankees GOAT

In 1923, Ruth won the MVP Award, and the World Series against the arch-rival New York Giants. As such, the bat is from one of the most important years ever for Yankees fans. While most of us could never dream of dropping this kind of money on a 100-year old bat, someone did. Hopefully, they will be able to relive the magic of Ruth everytime they look at the hallowed bat.